Save on travel insurance

Avoiding the high street, shopping online or even just picking up the phone can save you a fortune on travel insurance this winter. According to a new Which? Money survey, just over half of readers currently take out an annual policy, compared with 28 per cent who take out single-trip policies.

AVOIDING the high street, shopping online or even just picking up the phone can save you a fortune on travel insurance this winter.

According to a new Which? Money survey, just over half of readers currently take out an annual policy, compared with 28 per cent who take out single-trip policies.

If you travel three or more times a year, you could find it cheaper to take out annual cover.

A family of four taking two seven-day holidays in Europe and a fortnight in Florida would pay £74 for single-trip policies from Travel Insurance Web.An annual policy would save them £10 and cover them for any more trips at no extra cost.

Cheaper online

Many Best Buys are internet-only, and companies often offer a discount of between five and 10 per cent to online buyers.

A 70-year-old buying a Europe-only annual policy from Liverpool Victoria would pay £76 by phone but just £68 online, a 10 per cent saving.

Older travellers

Insurance for travellers over 65 can be expensive. For the over-80s, premiums jump even higher. Around a quarter (23 per cent) of the over-65s we surveyed had difficulty getting insurance due to medical conditions.

Of those who struggled to find cover, 41 per cent had to contact a number of insurers and seven per cent could not get insurance.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, check with the insurer if the condition is covered before you buy.

Liverpool Victoria is a Best Buy for European cover, but an annual worldwide policy bought online by a 78-year-old with no pre-existing conditions is £119 from Golfguard, £210 cheaper than a worldwide policy from Liverpool Victoria.

Minimum standards

It's worth noting that policies offer varying levels of cover at different prices. However, our Best Buys (see tables, right) meet minimum criteria including at least £1m of medical cover in Europe, and £2m in the rest of the world; £1,500 baggage and belongings cover; £3,000 cancellation or curtailment cover; personal liability cover of at least £1m; and a 24-hour emergency line and cover for legal expenses.

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